Rubber-like gum.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN F. SPENCER, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR TO THE WESTERN PARENT CRUDE RUBBER COMPANY, OF SANTA FE, TER- RITORY OF NEW MEXICO, A CORPORATION OF THE TERRITORY OF NEW MEXICO.

RUBBER-LIKE GUM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 30, 1906.

1'0 all whom/it may concern.

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN ESPENOER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rubber-Like Gum; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a new rubber-like gum, and contemplates the production of the same in a more or less pure form for various purposes, but chiefly as a substitute for caoutchouc, guttaercha, and other like substances, the said ru ber-like gum. being manufacture'd from a plant or shrub which, so far as I am aware, was never before employed for any useful purpose until the time when I conceived the present invention.

I have invented and will describe a simple and economical process for producing more or less ure gum at a comparatively small cost.

T e particular plant or shrub which has been first used by me in a practical way for obtaining rubber-like gum as a substitute for caoutchouc, gutta-percha, and the like is one that is found in Colorado and, since my discovery thereof, has become commonly known in that locality as the Colorado rubberplant. This plant .is found in its native state in the region around Buena Vista, Colorado, and according to certain accepted authorities in the State of Colorado has been identified as a Picradenia, closely allied to a P; flor'ibunda, (Gray,) Greene, part of the aggregate Acttn'ella Richardson i of Gm'ys Synopttcal Flora. Although this plant has been collected on various occasions, it has been confused with P. Richardsom' and Florib'u/nda, from which it is at least subspecifically distinct.

tgpoting from one of the Colorado State aut orities, the lant mav be described as follows: Pier en'ia floribumla utilts, N. Sabsp, similar in appearance and mode of growth to P. floribunda, (a topotype collected by I'Ieller at Santa Fe, New Mexico, conipared,) but easily distin uished by the pale yellowish, broad, and su )ovate outer bracts, with strongly-concave outer nargins and the backconspicuously keeled. These bracts are united about to themiddle. (In' P. floribunda these bracts aregreener, long, and pointed, with straight sides and not united quite so far as the middle.) The disk corollas have a rusty-red ring in the throat,

which appears to be absent in floribwzda; rays narrower, about two millimeters in diameter. As far as the specimens seen go the basal part of the stems is much more robust in bracts are narrower and shorter than the inner, and the inner are much more pointedthan those of uttlts.

The disk corollas of Davidson; are considerably broader at the top than those of utilis. The length of the disk corollas in Dar/Meant is three and a half millimeters, in util'is and floribumla four, in ligulaejlom five. In P. ligulacfiom and macranthc the receptacle is hemispherical and somewhat fimbrillose, these species having in part the characters of Gaillard'ia. In floribunda, and utt'lis the receptacle is conical and bare.

Accepting the authoritative description thus set forth, 1 shall in describing my new article of manufacture or composition of matter employ the-name P'ic'rudc'nia floribundautilis in referring to this plant or shrub,

this being, as i understand it, the botanical name by which the plant or shrub s to be ropognizod, which plant is now commonly known. the Colorado rubber-plant and sometimes is referred to as the Act Luella In obtaining the gummy portion of the plant for producing the plastic rubber-like mass forming the subject-matter of the present invention I first prepare a suitable quantity of the plant P'Lcradcn/ia, jlor'ibu'nda ut'llis by cleaning and drying the same, preferably using the root anderown of the plant, as those portions appear to contain a high percentage of the gummy matter. It will be understood, however, that the entire plant can be employed, if desired. The dried and cleansed portions of the plant are then ground up, disintegrated, or otherwise comminuted in any suitable manner for reducing the same the gummy particles contained in the plant Pglcradenia, jior'ibunda utilis, separated and agglomerated into a coherent mass, insoluble -in Water, but soluble in light hydrocarbons such as gasolene, substantially as described. 2. A new manufacture or composition of matter, consisting of a rubber-like and waterproof gum, said gum comprising the agglomerated gummy portions of the plant Pz'cra- (Zem'a floribunda util'is and the residual portions of avolatile hydrocarbon solvent, su bstantially as described.

As a new article-of manufacture, a plastic rubber-like body, consisting essentially of the pure or unadulterated particles contained in'the plant Picmdem'a floribunda utilis, separated and agglomerated into a coherent mass, insoluble in water but soluble in light hydrocarbons, such as gasolen'e, substantially as described.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a rubher-like gum comprising the adhesive particles of the plant Picmd-cnia flOTtbttlltlfL utilis separated and collected in a plastic mass.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a mass comprising the gummy particles of the plant Ptcraden'ia, jlort'bu'nda utilt's separated from the fibrous portions thereof and agglomerated orcollected for use.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature CABLE WnrrEnnAn, CHESTER E. SMEDLEY. 

